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Toronto woman dies on Mount Everest descent

Toronto&rsquo;s Shriya Shah-Klorfine, 33, a candidate in the last provincial election for the riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, died during her descent from Mount Everest.

Toronto resident Shriya Shah-Klorfine, 33, a candidate in the last provincial election for the riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, died during her descent from Mount Everest. (myeverestexpedition.com)

By Josh TapperStaff Reporter

Tues., May 22, 2012

As the tour helicopter circled Mount Everest, the 9-year-old turned to her father and asked an innocent question, putting her on a path that would ultimately lead to her death:

“If people climb it, why are we looking at it from up here?”

Over the next 24 years, Shriya Shah-Klorfine of Toronto dreamed of scaling the world’s tallest peak, striving to be one of the few Canadian women to reach the top. On Saturday, tired and jubilant after a seven-week trek, the 33-year-old unfurled Canada’s flag at the summit.

But hours later, the lifelong dream turned tragic. Shah-Klorfine, along with three other climbers, died on her descent. Reports on Monday suggested she collapsed from exhaustion and altitude sickness.

As devastated friends gathered Monday in Mississauga, Shah-Klorfine, a budding politician who ran in the last provincial election for the riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, was remembered for her perseverance and relentless work ethic. Her grueling pre-trek training regimen included daily 19-kilometre runs carrying a 20-kilogram pack.

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“She never let her dream be lost,” said friend Bikram Lamba. “She transferred the dream into reality.”

Roughly 150 climbers attempted to reach the summit over the weekend during a brief spell of good weather in what has been an otherwise poor spring climbing season.

Gyandendra Shrestha, of Nepal’s Mountaineering Department, said some climbers set off for the top as late as 2:30 p.m. Saturday, even though climbers are advised to leave the final pre-summit camp, Camp 4, no later than 11 a.m.

The glut of climbers on the 8,850-metre peak over the weekend raised concerns about overcrowding. The Nepalese government does not limit the number of people who can be on the mountain at one time.

“With the traffic jam, climbers had a longer wait for their chance to go up the trail and spent too much time at a higher altitude,” Shrestha told the Associated Press. “Many of them are believed to be carrying a limited amount of oxygen, not anticipating the extra time spent.”

Priya Ahuja, a close friend, said she received a call at 5:45 a.m. (about 3 p.m. in Nepal) with news Shah-Klorfine had become the fourth Canadian woman to reach the summit. She had been wearing a maple leaf sweater knitted by Lamba’s wife, Rattanjeet.

A 2008 University of Toronto study found 80 per cent of Everest deaths occur in what’s called the “death zone,” the icy final stretch of the mountain, because of its low oxygen level. Eight climbers have died on Everest this season.

Bruce Klorfine, who celebrated his 10-year anniversary with Shah-Klorfine last month, declined an interview request, but said in a statement: “My wife was someone who lived life to its fullest, with irrepressible energy and vitality. Words don’t describe the profound sense of loss.”

Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, and raised in Mumbai, India, Shah-Klorfine moved to Canada 12 years ago, establishing a company importing products by Indian celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

In 2011, she participated in a five-day hunger strike at Queen’s Park, led by Lamba, to protest skyrocketing auto insurance premiums. She collapsed after four days, but returned to the strike after her release from hospital. In the aftermath, she joined the fledgling Paramount Canadians Party, which campaigns for reduced auto insurance and gas prices.

To her friends, Shah-Klorfine’s dedication to the climb, meant to raise money for Sick Kids Hospital, knew no bounds. For the last two years, she squeezed in seven hours of training each day before running her business in the late evening to correspond with India’s work day.

Ahuja said Shah-Klorfine mortgaged her Toronto home, near Dufferin St. and Eglinton Ave. W., to help cover climbing costs, which can run more than $60,000. Nothing, Ahuja said, could hold Shah-Klorfine back.

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